Authors such as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle will be fighting it out in a poll to find the greatest crime novel ever written
Rosa Silverman
Agatha
Christie will compete with the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler
in a quest to identify the greatest crime novel ever written.
The Crime
Writers’ Association (CWA) has asked its 600 members, all authors, to pick what
they consider to be the finest example of the genre, with the winner to be
revealed as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.
Among the
whodunits on the shortlist are two works by Christie – her 1934 novel Murder
on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,
published in 1926.
The
competition will be stiff, however, as the American writer Chandler also has
two books in the running – The Big Sleep, from 1939, and the 1953
novel The Long Goodbye.
The Hound of
the Baskervilles, Conan Doyle’s 1902 thriller,
is also in the running, along with more recent works such as The
Silence of the Lambsby Thomas Harris and On Beulah Height by
Reginald Hill.
Scandinavian
crime fiction, which has achieved widespread popularity in recent years, is
notably absent from the list.
The poll will
also seek to identify the greatest crime series and greatest crime writer, with
the shortlist for the latter title including PD James and Ruth Rendell.
The crime
series shortlist includes Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmescollection
and Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels.
Alison Joseph,
chair of the association and author of the Sister Agnesmystery
series, told the Independent on Sunday: "We see authors today stretching the limits of the genre, examining
the truth of criminality, its causes, its effects, yet still telling
page-turning stories.
"I was
surprised there wasn't representation from the Scandinavian novelists since
they consistently top the bestseller's list. Perhaps the bloodlust is all too
much for people?"
The results of the poll will be revealed at Foyles bookshop
on Charing Cross Road in London on November 5.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 comentaris:
Publica un comentari a l'entrada